Donnelly pushes for gun rights in governor's race

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Republican state Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is promoting legislation that would expand the right to carry a concealed weapon in California, continuing his focus on gun rights in his campaign for governor.

The ardent gun-rights advocate from San Bernardino County held a news conference Monday to promote his bill, AB1563. It would shift responsibility for issuing concealed weapons permits from local law enforcement agencies to the state Department of Justice.

Donnelly remains on probation for bringing a loaded handgun into an airport but says he has no “personal experience” with concealed weapons.

In polls, Californians rank issues such as jobs and the economy well above gun rights. But Donnelly says having a safe community is as important as having a community where “businesses feel safe from the oppression of government.”